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Sample Questions Answered by Starpath Weather Trainer
- Why a ring around the sun or moon is how native shamans earned their keep as weather forecasters.
- What is meant when reports say the "wave height is 5 feet." (Hint: it doesn't mean all waves are 5 ft. tall.)
- Why you can't judge barometer quality from its cost.
- The differences between a front, a low, and a trough, and where these distinctions make a difference.
- Why low clouds do not move in the same direction the surface wind does.
- Where and when squalls form and how they behave.
- Why the spacing of the isobars alone are not enough to make useful wind predictions for sailors (we must account for curvature).
- Why windward squalls are not the ones to worry about.
- Why gust winds nearly always shift to the right.
- How to tell (from cirrus clouds) which way bad weather will approach.
- How to judge the severity of approaching bad weather from the nature of high clouds that precede them over existing fair weather.
- Why a "line squall" is worse than a line of squalls.
- Why a barometer is so important to forecasting.
- Why wind shifts are more important to forecasting than wind speeds are.
- Why the nature of rain is important to forecasting whereas temperature changes help little with forecasting.
- Why some types of fog can come with 30 knots of wind and won't "burn off" while other types of fog can only be formed in very light air, and how to tell the difference.
- Why official fog forecasts can be reliable even when wind the forecasts have been totally wrong.
- How to identify clouds and which patterns or sequences have meaning and which do not.
- How to check barometer quality.
- Why most rules for predicting wind speeds, directions, and shifts that work in the ocean rarely work on waters sheltered by land or mountains. And what rules must be used to replace them.
- What are the differences between swells and waves, and what can be read from ripples and cat's paws on the surfaces of waves.
- Why a long low swell is the first indicator of the possible approach of a distant storm.
- How to put the most distance between you and an approaching storm with a simple method using tables.
- How valuable radar is in analyzing squall motions and your ability to maneuver around them.
- What are relative importances of wind shifts, barometer reading, wind speed, clouds, precipitation, and sea state for shipboard forecasting.
- How to predict how the wind will shift when a frontal system approaches and then passes.
- How to tell if an approaching squall has already let down its dangerous downburst of strong gusty winds.
- How to tell what side of a squall to pass on to get most favorable winds when you have a choice.
- Why certain cloud patterns cause oscillating wind shifts large enough to jibe on.
- How to know when you have entered the tradewind belt.
- How a good barometer can be used to verify weather fax maps.
- What is a fast or slow rate of barometric pressure change, and what it means.
- Why Highs generally have clear weather and light winds while Lows have clouds, rain, and strong winds.
- Why seas in the trade wind belt are much larger than those of corresponding winds in other areas.
- Why "Red skies at night, is a sailor's delight" and "Mackerel skies and mare's tails make tall ships set low sails." And various other old sayings explained.
- Why seas running against a strong current are so dramatically steeper than those running with a current.
- How to tell at sunset if you are going to have a squally night at sea.
- How to determine where and when hurricanes are present and the probabilities of running into one.
- Why storms in the North Pacific have caused so very much more destruction to mariners underway than any hurricane anywhere ever has.
- How to keep a good log book that will help with weather forecasting.
- Why the main challenge of forecasting for sailors is predicting good weather (i.e. finding routes with 15 knots vs. 10 knots of wind, or 25 vs. 15, etc.) rather than the forecasting problems of storms or gales.
- How to tell wind speed and direction from the spacing and orientation of isobars on weather maps.
- How to get the most out of voice high seas weather broadcasts if you don't have a fax machine.
- What are pros and cons of having a radio receiver be part of the fax machine vs. using your SSB radio and a stand alone fax recorder or computer to take fax maps.
- How to choose the most efficient reaching angle when sailing downwind.
- How to predict how far off a leeward cliff the wind will rise to pass over it. Or how close can I get to a windward cliff before reaching the gusty zone where the wind spills down off the cliff?)
- How to tell who is ahead in an ocean race.
- How to predict wind shifts near the shore and at headlands and spits.
- How to read the current direction from the surface texture or from white caps.
- Learn the Beaufort scale and its value.
- How to predict wave heights from wind speed, duration, and fetch.
- How to get NWS maps and text reports on the internet
- What distinguishes storms, gales, hurricanes, and small craft warnings.
- What are the best resources for planning a sailing voyage in various parts of the world.
- What are rogue waves and how are they generated and what are the chances of running into one.
- Why we will spend most of our time at sea trying to find more wind as opposed to getting away from too much wind, and how to do it.
- Why all vessels tend to round up (turn into the wind) when surfing down big waves, and how to avoid it.
- Why it is important to be able to determine true wind speed and direction from the apparent wind speed and direction.
- How to predict your new heading when you jibe to the same apparent wind angle on the other board.
- What is the best time of day to look for land at sea, and why, and how far off can you see it.
- And much more...
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